Cohousing
Usually each person or household has a genuinely private, self-contained home alongside shared spaces and services. The community is often stable, intentional and oriented toward longer-term living.
UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE
Cohousing, coliving and other forms of shared living
Labels are useful, but they never tell the whole story. At CommonYears, what matters most is how you actually want to live: how much independence you want, which spaces should be private, how much you want to share, and what kind of community you imagine around you.
Coliving
The shared component is often stronger: private spaces may be more compact and common areas or services more central to everyday life. The arrangement can also be more flexible and less permanent.
In practice, the models overlap
Two cohousing projects can be very different from each other, just as two coliving projects can. A six-person cohousing community with strong shared life may resemble intentional coliving more than a large cohousing project with highly independent neighbours.
| Cohousing | Coliving | |
|---|---|---|
| Private space | Usually a self-contained home or apartment | Often a more compact private unit |
| Shared spaces | Important, but complementary | More central to everyday life |
| Length of stay | More often stable / long term | Can be more flexible |
| Community | Often intentional and participatory | Can be, but not necessarily |
| Economic model | Purchase, rent, cooperative or co-ownership | More often rental or service-based |
COMMONYEARS
How CommonYears uses these terms
We do not try to force you into a category. The Living Profile starts from the concrete characteristics we are testing today: privacy, independence, community intensity, values, location and housing model. Only then can we show which forms of living seem closest to you.